The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-20
BILLY KISSANE.
Interesting Incidents in the Life
of a Somewhat Remark
able Man.
His Adventures I'm Cincinnati, New
York, Nicaragua, and Cali
fOrnia.

1t is now about sxty-two years since
Billy" Kissane was born TO increase the
distress OF n poor Irish family. Exactly
how or when he crossed the Atlantic has
not yet been made public, but somewhere in
the '3Cs he turned mp in Canada. He did
moi stay there long, for within the next dec
ade Lo made his appearance in Cincinnati
Ii was at the latter place that BILLY" kis-
sane engaged In the plot to burn the s.eam-
er Martha Washington and collect an enor-
nous insurance upon fictitious cargo OF
lard and other freight shipped in barrels
as brandy. The steamer, bound from Gin
cinnah to New Orleans, was burned near
Helena, Ark, on the night of January IA,
1852. There were eighteen lives lost, but
enough of the cargo was thrown overheard
and saved to expose the plot that had
caused such a horrible loss OF life, and
Kissane and Hubbard, the clerk of the
boat, were arrested and tried in Ohio for
the murder. The Ohio courts declined to
assume jurisdiction over n crime committed
in Arkansas, and kissane was carried to
Helena. There the prosecution fell through
for want of funds after several attempts
had been made to kill Sidney g. Burton,
the principal witness against the prisoners.
Kissanc was next heard of in New York,
where In August, 1854, he was arrested,
convicted, and sentenced 10 Sing Sing for
forgeries on the Chemical Bank of that
city. Between his escape from the clutches
of the law in Helena and falling into them
again in New York he must have visited
Cleveland, Ohio, where thirty-four years
ago he married a lady, who is still living.
The couple lived together five months,
when he left her. and after his departure
.Iok, g u :.
that she could lind among his effects to re-
member him by. The deserted wife pro-
cured divorce and secured 81 900 ali
mony, which she may collect now if Rogers
proves to be her long-los husband. A
daughter of Kissane still lives in Cleveland.
She has never seen her father, but If the
wealthy Californian should be he she will
be an heiress in spite of all his wander
ings and his wife and children in the
Sonoma valley.
Before the expiration of his sentence
Kissane was pardoned out of Sing Sing
upon condition that he would testify in the
insurance cases growing out of the burn
ing of the Martha Washington. He made
q written confession of his share in that
horror, but upol his release he violated
his promise to the insurance companies
and fled to Nicaragua, where under an as
The efforts of Burton to bring the Kissane
gang to Justice provoked its deadly hatred.
He was said to have spent $50, 600 and
travelled 150, 600 miles in his task of hunt
ing down the Kissane conspirators, but ac-
cording to the report they finally got the
best of him by poison. Every moveme Mt
of Burton in the United States and Can
ada was logged by the emissaries of Kis-
sane until in the fall of 1856 they succeed
ed in smuggling a subtle poison into his
food that ate away one of his lungs, so
that he died in terrible agony in December
of that year.
Thirty two years ago Billy Kissane dis
appeared from view. Whether he had gone
to Brazil or TO Nicaragua or the north pole
no one appeared to know. The insurance
companies could not find him; his associ-
ates d d not want TO find him. The Jess
known about his whereabouts the better il
was for them. They covered his disap-
pearance completely.
Ii was in the year 1855 that the black
sombrero of tie famous filIbuster chief, y
the "grag-eyod man of Destiny" Walker,
led his troop of dark Lrowed, bearded adj
,enturers upon his wonderful, daring, and
cruel ride through Nicaragua.
With Walker in that band rode one Col.
w. X. Rogers. He was one of the bravest.
OF him ID. b. Wolf, n well-known Califor-
MAN, says: II have known him intimately
for thirty-one years. We we're together
with Walker in Nicaragua, and he stood
like lion where bullets flew thickest. He
became the Minister of the Int rior under
Walker, and was one of the men chosen by
our chief TO accompany him on the United
States vessel when the fates went against
the United States"
Thirty years ago col" Rogers parted
company with bis chief, whose heart was
black and whose hands were red, ut Pana-
ma and sailed for California, where he ar
ived in due time. and where he began q
new life. According to his friend Wolf,
lie had not n cent when he landed. But il
il scarcely TO be credited that Col.
Rogers, who subsequently developed such
financial shrewdness, wasted all his oppor-
tunities as Walkers minister of haciendas
and left Nj ,arngua empty handed. At all
even S, he began his career on the
| Pac. slope as merchant in Sacra-
mento, subsequently turned his attention tc
the Comstock mines, and now lives in pros
porous ease or a rich Sonoma ranch. About
twenty years ago Col" Rogers married a
beautiful young lady, twenty years his
| Junior, who is the sister in law of Lloyd
Tevis. once a partner of Haggin, the mill
| ionaire horse breeder. He is also half
brother of Reuben Lloyd, one of the most
prominent lawyers in San Francisco
Al these facts and their attendant infer
ences have come TO light through what APP
peared 10 be an innocent motion of San
| Francisco lawyer before Recorder Smyth in
| New York to have a nolle prosequi entered
on the indictment against William Kissans
for forging a check for Sl2,O 900 upon the
Chemical Bank in 1854. There are features
about the proceedings that make it appear
not at all incredible that Colonel" Rogers
is none other than Billy Kissane, and that
he wished To- have the old cloud removed
from his life before ventuIing to join the
colony of California millionaires in New
York. If SO. he is probably now sorry thai
he wa not content to die honored and un-
suspected amid the beautiful surroundings
Of his Sonoma home.
/
lie Was u Shaver.
MaroboDt- Won caI1 that fellow q